60NYT > Michael Pollaktopics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/p/michael_pollak/index.html?rss=1Recent and archived news articles by Michael Pollak of The New York Times.Copyright 2014 The New York Times Companyen-usTue 31 Mar 2015 17:27:48 -0400http://static01.nyt.com/images/section/NytSectionHeader.gifNYThttp://www.nytimes.comA History of the First Mass-Produced Baseball Cardhttp://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/22/nyregion/a-history-of-the-first-mass-produced-baseball-card.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/22/nyregion/a-history-of-the-first-mass-produced-baseball-card.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss"><img src="http://static01.nyt.com/images/2015/03/22/nyregion/22FYI/22FYI-thumbStandard.jpg" border="0" height="75" width="75" hspace="4" align="left"/></a>A reader asks: What was the first baseball card?By MICHAEL POLLAKSun, 22 Mar 2015 00:00:00 -0400http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/22/nyregion/a-history-of-the-first-mass-produced-baseball-card.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rssAn Early History of Blacks on Madison Avenuehttp://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/15/nyregion/an-early-history-of-blacks-on-madison-avenue.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/15/nyregion/an-early-history-of-blacks-on-madison-avenue.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss"><img src="http://static01.nyt.com/images/2015/03/15/nyregion/15FYI/15FYI-thumbStandard.jpg" border="0" height="75" width="75" hspace="4" align="left"/></a>A reader asks, When did blacks manage to break down the barriers in advertising and become ad executives?By MICHAEL POLLAKSun, 15 Mar 2015 00:00:00 -0400http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/15/nyregion/an-early-history-of-blacks-on-madison-avenue.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rssA Short History of Wiretappinghttp://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/01/nyregion/a-short-history-of-wiretapping.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/01/nyregion/a-short-history-of-wiretapping.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss"><img src="http://static01.nyt.com/images/2015/03/01/nyregion/01FYI/01FYI-thumbStandard.jpg" border="0" height="75" width="75" hspace="4" align="left"/></a>Surreptitious monitoring of conversations did not begin with the revelations recounted in &#8220;Citizenfour,&#8221; but rather has long been conducted by the authorities, private detectives, armies and criminals.By MICHAEL POLLAKSun, 01 Mar 2015 00:00:00 -0500http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/01/nyregion/a-short-history-of-wiretapping.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rssWhy Do So Many Windshield Wipers Stick Out During Winter?http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/22/nyregion/why-do-so-many-windshield-wipers-stick-out-during-winter.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/22/nyregion/why-do-so-many-windshield-wipers-stick-out-during-winter.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss"><img src="http://static01.nyt.com/images/2015/02/22/nyregion/22FYI/22FYI-thumbStandard.jpg" border="0" height="75" width="75" hspace="4" align="left"/></a>Readers ask about parked cars on snowy New York Streets and mail chutes.By MICHAEL POLLAKSun, 22 Feb 2015 00:00:00 -0500http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/22/nyregion/why-do-so-many-windshield-wipers-stick-out-during-winter.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rssWhat Happened to the Big Armchairs in Grand Central Terminal?http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/15/nyregion/what-happened-to-the-big-armchairs-in-grand-central-terminal.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/15/nyregion/what-happened-to-the-big-armchairs-in-grand-central-terminal.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss"><img src="http://static01.nyt.com/images/2015/02/15/nyregion/15FYI2/15FYI2-thumbStandard.jpg" border="0" height="75" width="75" hspace="4" align="left"/></a>The disappearance of popular furniture from the dining concourse Grand Central Terminal is explained, and a question about tugboats is answered.By MICHAEL POLLAKSun, 15 Feb 2015 00:00:00 -0500http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/15/nyregion/what-happened-to-the-big-armchairs-in-grand-central-terminal.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rssAnswers to Questions About Snowplows, De-Icing Sidewalks and Parking Metershttp://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/25/nyregion/answers-to-questions-about-snowplows-de-icing-sidewalks-and-parking-meters.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/25/nyregion/answers-to-questions-about-snowplows-de-icing-sidewalks-and-parking-meters.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss"><img src="http://static01.nyt.com/images/2015/01/25/nyregion/25FYI1/25FYI1-thumbStandard-v2.jpg" border="0" height="75" width="75" hspace="4" align="left"/></a>Readers ask winter weather-related questions, and about meter-feeding.By MICHAEL POLLAKSun, 25 Jan 2015 00:00:00 -0500http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/25/nyregion/answers-to-questions-about-snowplows-de-icing-sidewalks-and-parking-meters.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rssFacts About the Spingarn Medal, Where to Find Rare Coins and Morehttp://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/28/nyregion/facts-about-the-spingarn-medal-where-to-find-rare-coins-and-more.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/28/nyregion/facts-about-the-spingarn-medal-where-to-find-rare-coins-and-more.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss"><img src="http://static01.nyt.com/images/2014/12/28/nyregion/28FYI/28FYI-thumbStandard.jpg" border="0" height="75" width="75" hspace="4" align="left"/></a>Readers learn about the Spingarn Medal, where rare coins are on display in New York, and how Vinegar Hill and Cobble Hill in Brooklyn got their names.By MICHAEL POLLAKSun, 28 Dec 2014 00:00:00 -0500http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/28/nyregion/facts-about-the-spingarn-medal-where-to-find-rare-coins-and-more.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rssWhat Happens to Letters to Santa Claus From New York City Children?http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/14/nyregion/what-happens-to-letters-to-santa-claus-from-new-york-city-children.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/14/nyregion/what-happens-to-letters-to-santa-claus-from-new-york-city-children.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss"><img src="http://static01.nyt.com/images/2014/12/14/nyregion/14FYI/14FYI-thumbStandard.jpg" border="0" height="75" width="75" hspace="4" align="left"/></a>A reader asks about the fate of letters to Santa from children in New York. They are generally handled by Operation Santa, an annual letter-writing program in major cities.By MICHAEL POLLAKSun, 14 Dec 2014 00:00:00 -0500http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/14/nyregion/what-happens-to-letters-to-santa-claus-from-new-york-city-children.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rssFacts About Foghorns and Garbage on the Sidewalkhttp://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/16/nyregion/facts-about-foghorns-and-garbage-on-the-sidewalk.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/16/nyregion/facts-about-foghorns-and-garbage-on-the-sidewalk.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss"><img src="http://static01.nyt.com/images/2014/11/16/nyregion/16FYI/16FYI-thumbStandard-v2.jpg" border="0" height="75" width="75" hspace="4" align="left"/></a>Foghorns in Midtown Manhattan, and the law regarding bags of restaurant garbage left on the sidewalk.By MICHAEL POLLAKSun, 16 Nov 2014 00:00:00 -0500http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/16/nyregion/facts-about-foghorns-and-garbage-on-the-sidewalk.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rssA Brief History of Dimming the Lights on Broadwayhttp://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/19/nyregion/a-brief-history-of-dimming-the-lights-on-broadway.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/19/nyregion/a-brief-history-of-dimming-the-lights-on-broadway.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss"><img src="http://static01.nyt.com/images/2014/10/19/nyregion/19FYI_COMBO/19FYI_COMBO-thumbStandard.jpg" border="0" height="75" width="75" hspace="4" align="left"/></a>A tradition of honoring the death of a Broadway figure by dimming the lights in all the theaters first began in the 1950s.By MICHAEL POLLAKSun, 19 Oct 2014 00:00:00 -0400http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/19/nyregion/a-brief-history-of-dimming-the-lights-on-broadway.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss